Truck.



E. M. WEST.

mums APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 1910.

Patented May 2, 1911.

eras Paar inn.

EDWARD M. WEST, OF BRIDGETON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND IVIESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO AUTOMATIC HAND-TRUCK COMPANY, OF BRIDGETON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

TRUCK.

eaoese.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD M. Wnsr, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Bridgeton, in the county of Cumberland and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trucks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to trucks designed to carry shipping boxes and packages of merchandise and is particularly useful in loading and unloading, and in transporting such goods.

My truck is more particularly designed to lift and carry two or more shipping packages of the hamper type, although its usefulness is not limited to this type alone.

It is further designed to be loaded without the necessity of first lifting such boxes on to the base of the truck, such loading with my truck bein accomplished by the person at the back 0 the truck through the means hereinafter described.

My invention in its preferable embodiment, is shown in the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is a perspective view of the truck in position for loading; Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the grappling hooks and their connections.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 indicates the stringers of the frame of awheeled truck of ordinary type and 2, 3 and 4 the cross bars or braces.

At the lower or forward extremity of the truck I secure the curved band 5 secured to the stringers of the truck by rearwardly extending arms 5*. At points intermediate the cross bars of the truck frame I also secure similarly curved bands 6 and 7. The curve or contour of these bands is designed to correspond substantially to the contour of the hamper basket or other rounded package to be handled.

Secured preferably to the upper sides of the two upper cross bars are rock shafts 8 and 9 which in practice extend along the cross bars from one of the stringers of the truck frame to approximately the middle of the bars and are provided at their centrally located ends with forwardly extending grappling books or claws 10. These rock shafts are journaled on the cross bars by any suitable means, staples being shown in the drawings as a simple and effective means to accomplish this result.

The ends of the rock shafts adjacent the stringer are provided with forwardly extending arms 11, the outer ends of which are secured to coiled springs 12. These springs have their other ends preferably secured to the stringer of the truck and tend to rock the shafts 8 and 9 to pull their hooks 10 forwardly and downwardly. A rod 13 connects the two arms 11 near their inner ends and causes the two rock shafts to operate in unison.

To allow for lost motion between the two rock shafts so that they may adapt themselves to any difference in the relative positions of the tops of the crates, I form the lower end of the rod 13 with a slotted portion 14', whose slot is adapted to receive a bolt or pin 15, on the arm 11 of rock shaft 8. I preferably form this slotted portion by bending the end of the rod backward upon itself. I also prefer to secure to the underside ofthe cross bar 3 on which the rock arm 11 is located, a plate 16, the edge of which projects somewhat beyond the outer face of said bar for the purpose hereinafter described. It will be obvious now that the person operating the truck, can, by

raising or pulling upwardly on either one of thehooks of the rock shafts simultaneously retract both of these hooks against the tension of the springs. To load, for instance, two superposed crates of the hamper type, on the truck, the person handling the truck brings it up against two such crates with the frame elevated to a vertical position and the lower curved band 5 resting against the lower part of the bottom crate. The operator then draws the grappling hooks back against the tension of the springs and tilts the truck forward until these hooks are above the top of their respective crates when said hooks are released and are drawn by the springs downwardly to grip the tops of the crates, the grappling hooks being in practice spaced to bear such relation to the standard size of crate.

Hamper crates of standard type are tapering and are provided with a hoop at the top against the underside of which the plate 16 is designed to bear when the truck is tilted to bring this plate against the bot tom hamper basket. The crates being tapering, the lower one is held securely wedged against the curved band 5 and both crates by reason of such engagement and because they are held against the truck and its supplemental curved bands 6 and 7 by the grappling hooks, can now be carried on the truck with the latter in any position suiting the convenience of the operator. It will also be seen that my truck is practically self loading and that the crates to be carried thereby, do not have to be lifted up and placed on the truck by hand but that the loading is all done by the operator and from the rear.

While I have described my truck as being especially designed to handle crates of the hamper type, it is obvious that it can be used for carrying various other packages of the same general nature, such as kegs, etc.

hat I claim as my invention is 1. A truck provided with a plurality of grappling members spaced apart lengthwise of the truck and engageable with a plurality of superposed packages, and means for actuating said grappling members to effect such engagement.

2. A truck provided with a plurality of movable grappling hooks spaced apart lengthwise of the truck to engage with different superposed packages, spring actuated means for moving said grappling hooks to effect such engagement, and means at the end of the truck for engaging with and supporting the lowermost of said superposed packages.

3. A truck provided with a plurality of operatively connected grappling members spaced apart and engageable with each of a plurality of superposed packages, means for actuating said grappling members to effect such engagement, and supporting means at the end of said truck engaging with the lowermost of said packages.

4:. A truck provided with a plurality of rock shafts spaced apart lengthwise of the truck and provided with grappling members engageable with a plurality of superposed packages.

5. Means for supporting and carrying a plurality of superposed packages comprising a wheeled truck, a plurality of spaced rock shafts mounted thereon, grappling members connected to said rock shafts and movable thereby to engage with each of a plurality of superposed packages, and sup porting means at the end of said truck engaging with the lowermost of said superposed packages.

6. A truck provided with a plurality of pivoted grappling members spaced apart lengthwise of the truck and engageable with each of a plurality of superposedpackages,

spring actuated means for moving said grappling members to effect such engagement and means at the end of the truck engaging with and supporting the lowermost of said superposed packages. 1

7. A truck provided with a plurality of rock shafts spaced apart and provided with grappling hooks engageable with each of a plurality of superposed packages, means at the end of said truck for supporting the lowermost of said superposed packages, and means for shafts to bring said hooks in package engaging position. I

8. A truck provided with a plurality of rock shafts spaced apart and provided with grappling hooks, a curved band at the base or end of said truck, supplemental curved bands intermediate its ends and means for rocking said shafts to actuate said grappling hooks.

9. Means for supporting and carrying a plurality of superposed packages, comprising a wheeled truck, a plurality of rock shafts mounted 011 the frame thereof and spaced apart, grappling hooks connected to said rock shafts and engageable with each of said superposed packages, a curved band at the end or base of said truck engageable with the side of the lowermost of said packages to support the same, connections between said rock shafts, and means for simultaneously rocking said shafts to bringsaid hooks into package engaging position.

10. Means for supporting and carrying a plurality of superposed packages comprising a wheeled truck, spaced rock shafts mounted in the framing of said truck and provided with grappling hooks, arms formed at the ends of said shafts, a rod connecting said arms, a curved band at the end or base of said truck engageable with the side of the lowermost of said superposed packages and spring means for simultaneously rocking said shafts to engage said hooks with each of the superposed packages.

11. Means for supporting and carrying a tapering shipping package comprising a wheeled truck, a rock shaft journaled in the framing thereof and provided with a grappling hook, means for rocking said shaft to engage with the top of said package, a plate projecting from the truck framing and engaging the side of the package adjacent its top, and a curved band at the base or end of said truck engaging the side of said package adjacent its bottom, substantially as described.

12. Means for supporting and carrying pairs of superposed tapering packages com prising a wheeled truck, a band at the base or end of said truck engaging the side of the lowermost package above its base, spaced grappling members mounted on the framing of the truck and engageable with each of simultaneously rocking said said superposed packages, and means for actuating said members to effect such engagement.

13. Means for supporting and carrying pairs of superposed tapering packages comprising a wheeled truck, a band at the base or end of said truck engaging and partially inclosing the side of the lower-most package above its base, a plurality of spaced rock shafts mounted on the truck frame, and provided wit-h grappling members, and means for rocking said shafts to move said grappling members into engagement with each of said superposed packages.

14L. A truck for carrying a plurality of superposed packages provided with grappling members mounted on the truck frame and spaced lengthwise thereof distances corresponding substantially to the depth of the packages, and located intermediate the truck side frames for engagement with the tops of the packages.

15. A truck provided with a plurality of spaced grappling members, engageable with a plurality of superposed packages, means for actuating said grappling members and connections between said members permitting independent movement of said grappling members.

16. A truck having a plurality of spaced rock shafts mounted thereon and provided with grappling hooks, means for rocking said shafts to actuate said hooks, and yielding connections between said rock shafts.

17. A truck having a pair of spaced rock shafts mounted thereon and provided with grappling hooks, crank arms on said shafts, a rod connected at its ends to said crank arms, one of said ends being slotted and coacting with a pin carried by a crank arm, and springs connected to said crank arms and rocking said shafts.

Signed by me at Bridgeton, New Jersey.

EDWARD M. WEST.

Witnesses:

HOWARD L. TYLER, ROBERT M. RILEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

